Helping Hands
by prongles
Summary: Several years have passed since the Second Wizarding War, and Draco Malfoy's life has become monotonous at best. But with the help of Astoria Greengrass and a charity for orphans, that just may change. Thank you to DarkRose at the HPFF forums for this summary! COMPLETED.
1. Chapter 1

Her long hair swung forward and covered her pale skin. His hands itched to push it back, to feel the pale brown strands weave through his fingers like silk.

She looked up at him and with a jolt he realised that she had realised he was staring at her the whole time. He glanced away but then resumed his staring. He couldn't resist not looking at those cool, dark eyes that he was always captivated by – even at Hogwarts.

The left side of her lip quirked upwards and he was entranced at the way her nose scrunched up as she laughed.

She slowly got to her feet and walked towards him, a smile playing at her lips. He gulped nervously, fingers tapping the side of his leg and she walked past him, still smiling coyly.

He turned around and saw that she had been greeting someone else, another man.

He sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets, walking out the door. He put his head down and chastised himself for being so stupid.

He wasn't watching where he was going and ran into something – no _someone_. He held his hand out and muttered an apology, looking forward to having a drink.

The hand grabbed his and to his immense surprise, it was soft and gentle. Draco looked at the young girl and those eyes that hadn't been staring at him before were staring at him right now.

"Daphne?" he asked in shock.

She shook her head and pulled herself up. "Astoria, actually. Her younger sister." She wiped dust off her dress and then brushed her hands together.

He blushed and murmured, "Sorry about that. I'll be on my way now." He gave her a tight smile and started walking off, feeling foolish and craving for that drink even more.

"Wait, Draco. I'm about to have lunch by myself, did you want to join me?" she asked, looking at him eagerly.

He looked behind him and then back at her. He shrugged. He only had a date with a Firewhiskey and there was no reason why he couldn't cancel that. "Sure, why not? Not like I have any plans," he lied.

She beamed at him and gestured for him to follow her. "Come on then. It's a great place."

He walked beside her, looking at her nervously. "So what have you been up to lately?" he asked. He hardly talked to Astoria back at school, but the rare times he did she was always very polite.

She waved a nonchalant hand. "Quite a lot actually. I've set up an organisation for the children who lost families. It's amazing. What about you?"

He shrugged again. "Nothing really. What does the organisation do?" he asked, eager to get the attention away from him.

She frowned, her nose crinkling. He noticed with a pang that it was exactly like Daphne's. "Oh nothing much, really. Just toys for the younger ones and activities for the older ones. Like… we have a cooking session, where we all cook like Muggles—" Draco felt the familiar feeling of disgust but firmly pushed it down. He needed to stop thinking like that. "—and we've got arts and crafts. A lot of people make their loved ones a gift and lay it on their grave," she said looking down at the ground.

"That sounds…" He struggled for a word to use; "…nice," he finished lamely.

Astoria smiled at him brightly. "It is. It's lovely seeing the kids happy. A lot of them are going through depression or PTSD and this little organisation is for them to just be kids again, instead of orphans."

"PTSD?" he asked curiously. She looked at him in surprise.

"Post-traumatic stress disorder," she explained, "a lot of Muggles got it after wars, and now a lot of witches and wizards have developed it, especially the younger ones. There isn't really a cure, as there isn't for most mental disorders. There are all sorts of treatments, but there's no cure, which is awful. They'll probably live with it their whole life and it can really affect not only them, but their family members," she said sadly. Draco could tell how much this all really meant to her and was moved that she could be so kind.

He nodded slowly. "You're doing a great thing, Astoria, you really are," he said honestly.

She grinned. "Thanks, Draco. Did you want to help out one day?" she asked, looking hopeful.

He hesitated and noticing the faltering look on her face, he quickly said, "Yeah, that'd be great." Her worry lines smoothed out and another smile made its way onto her face.

"That's amazing, thank you. It's actually so much fun," she insisted.

He smiled at her. "I'm looking forward to it," he said.

She smiled even wider and walked into the café. Draco followed her and sat down opposite her, feeling oddly at ease.


	2. Chapter 2

Draco knocked on the white door hesitantly. He put his hands in his pockets and waited nervously. The door swung open to reveal a very frazzled Astoria.

"Draco! I'm so sorry, I overslept! I'll be ready in five or so minutes!" she said, brushing her hair with an apple.

"Astoria, it's okay. You're brushing your hair with an apple," he pointed out. She stopped brushing and looked at the apple, bursting into loud laughter. Draco grinned with her.

"You're right, come in, come in. I won't be too long and then we'll get going." Draco nodded and sat himself down on a chair. She dashed back to her room and Draco eyed the place. Everything was pale white with a few light brown patterns. The furniture was all maple wood and gave everything a vintage feel. It was soft and nice, very different to the cool, sharp design of the Manor.

"I'm ready!" she announced. Draco stood up and looked her up and down. She was wearing a pale pink dress with white slip-on shoes, giving her a look of innocence.

"You look very nice," Draco murmured and her cheeks darkened.

"Thanks Draco, you look dashing as well—" Draco smiled at her and she gave him a grin in return. "—and I'll Apparate us there on three, okay?"

He nodded and she gripped his arm tightly. "One…" He closed his eyes.

"Two…" Instead of seeing the ever familiar Daphne behind his lids, he saw a different image.

"Three…" Before he could focus, they spun on the spot and appeared in an old warehouse.

He opened his eyes and let them adjust to his new surroundings. "Today's an arts and craft session, it's the more fun one in my opinion," she called out, walking towards a large pile of sheets.

"I'll take your word for it," he said, following her. "What's this pile of sheets?"

She smiled up at him and waved her wand over them. "The crafts! What did you think they were?" she teased.

He nodded, feeling a bit lost, and with her wand she started directing tables to different areas of the warehouse. "D'you mind helping?" she asked. "I'm running late and they're going to be here soon, I normally wouldn't ask—"

Draco cut her off smoothly, "No that's okay." He pulled out his wand. "Where did you want them to go?" She showed him the outline and after reading it for a few seconds, he sent the tables to the places they were meant to go. They then put all the different crafts out and after five minutes, everything had been set up.

"Thanks, Draco," she said, "I don't know where the others are. It might just be us today."

He felt his heart jump at the thought of being alone with her all day but he firmly ignored it. "Oh, okay then. How many are there usually?"

"There are only two others, but we try and have at least two people at all times. I'm here every day, so the other two generally just switch with each other. I guess they must have thought the other was doing it." She shrugged. "Will this be too much of a burden on you?"

He shook his head. "No, of course not. I must say though, you're doing a really wonderful thing," he said earnestly.

She smiled. "It is a wonderful thing. When the kids go home with the biggest smiles on their faces, you feel so accomplished," she said, her eyes distant.

He gave a small smile and asked, "How are you paying this by the way? Do you just duplicate everything?"

She shook her head. "No, we tried that once and it didn't work very well. We've door-knocked before but stopped after someone threatened to hex us—" Draco's eyebrows shot up. "—yeah, I didn't think they'd do that but… anyway, well we all work at other jobs and use our own money."

He whistled lowly. "That must be expensive, how often do you do this charity thing?"

"Oh every day. I work night-shifts at a Muggle all-night gym. This starts at midday and I usually get home at three in the morning, so I get a decent amount of sleep," she said brightly, fixing up a bowl filled with beads.

Draco faltered. "You know… if you ever need help with the financial side of things, I could always help you," he offered nervously.

Astoria smiled. "Really? That isn't too much to ask?"

He shook his head. "No, of course not. I'm currently working at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and uh… still living with my parents so I've got a few galleons to spare."

Her eyes twinkled and she said earnestly, "Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me, or the kids."

Draco gave her a small smile. "That's okay, now when does everyone get here?"

She beamed and checked a thin watch on her wrist. "Well, it starts at about midday and most people go home at four-ish." He nodded but before he could say anything, a few children walked in.

"ASTORIA!" one of them shouted, running towards her.

She bent down and gave the little boy a hug. "Oscar!" she said happily. "How have you been?"

She set him on her hip and he started babbling about all different things. Draco wasn't typically a 'kids person' per se, but seeing Astoria with this little boy made Draco think that kids weren't all that bad.

"Oscar, I'd like you to meet my new friend, Draco," Astoria said, pulling Draco away from his thoughts.

He smiled and said, "It's nice to meet you, Oscar."

Oscar said shyly, "It's nice to meet you, Mr Draco."

Astoria laughed and corrected him, "No, no. Draco is his first name. It's a bit strange but most of our names are."

Oscar giggled and said, "Draco sounds like dragon!"

Draco smiled and said, "Did you know that Draco actually means dragon in Latin?"

The kid's eyes went wide and gasped, "Wow!"

"Aren't you clever, Oscar?" Astoria said proudly, and he beamed, clapping his hands together. "Draco, did you want to introduce yourself to the other kids, I'm sure they'll like you." She gave him a smile and he nodded, nervously introducing himself to some of the older ones.

At the end of the day and once he had said goodbye to all these children, Draco discovered that this was oddly rewarding and could understand why Astoria was doing it.


	3. Chapter 3

Draco woke up, eager to go to the new Quidditch session that he had suggested. All the kids had been excited to try and Draco was eager to teach them.

He walked downstairs, checked on his mother who was outside sitting in the warm sun, and started to make some breakfast.

"Draco?" he heard his father call out.

"Yes, Father?" he responded generically. Lucius was still struggling with the after-effects of the war. It was one of the reasons why Draco still lived with his parents; they needed to be taken care of.

"Have you done the Dark Lord's job?" he whispered, looking serious.

Draco sighed. "Father, the war is over. The Dark Lord isn't alive anymore—"

"Shh!" he reprimanded him. "He might hear and punish us," he breathed, his eyes wide.

Draco closed his eyes and counted to ten slowly. "Father, the war is over. He's been defeated. It ended three years ago? Remember Potter defended us and didn't let us go to Azkaban?"

Lucius had a look of recognition and nodded. "Of course," was all he said before he walked into the dining room where Voldemort and his Death Eaters used to meet.

Draco felt like deflating. His father just wasn't getting any better and his mother seemed to be numb. She was still shocked that Bellatrix was killed and her niece – whom she'd never even met – was murdered by Bellatrix.

She had tried to talk to Andromeda but she was rejected, in fear that she would hurt her grandson. Draco had also tried talking to Andromeda but she spurned him away too.

He sighed again and brought out a plate of fruit for his mother before leaving to help Astoria.

* * *

"Hi Draco!" Astoria said brightly. She was dressed in trousers that came past her knees and an old Slytherin jersey.

"Hi Astoria," he said, grinning, his thoughts about his parents fading away. "Should we get going?"

She nodded. "Yeah, sure. I just need to get my broom."

Draco nodded and she quickly ducked back into her apartment. "Come in," he heard her call out.

He let himself in and closed the door behind him. The place looked much cleaner than before. She finally found a broom and he heard, "I found it!" She came out with an old Cleansweep and she asked him, "Where's your broom?"

"Already at the field," he responded, "I've also got brooms for all the other kids."

She looked at him curiously. "I thought the kids were going to bring their own brooms?"

He hesitated. "Well, yes. But then I thought I'd go and buy new ones, they deserve them."

Astoria's mouth had dropped open and suddenly, she flung herself at him. "That's so sweet! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

She quickly kissed him and said thank you again. "Oh, that's wonderful; they're going to be excited, thank you, so much."

Draco didn't respond, he was still in shock that Astoria had kissed him. He decided against saying something, as they were going to be late if he started a whole new conversation.

"Should we get going?" she asked, her eyes bright and excited.

He nodded and grabbed her hand, feeling his cheeks turn pink. "One, two, three," he murmured before spinning on the spot.

They arrived at the empty field and Astoria looked around. It was a nice, warm day that would be perfect for the kids to play Quidditch. The other two girls, who Draco had only met once, had finally arrived with their own brooms.

"Hello, Draco," Alyssa said warmly. "It's a nice day, isn't it?"

Draco nodded. "It is. Hello. And hello Stephanie," he said politely.

Stephanie winked at him. "Hey. This is going to be great! They're going to love it."

Astoria bounced on the balls of her feet. "Guess what?" she said excitedly. Her cheeks were flushed pink and her eyes were extremely bright.

"What?" Stephanie asked, tying her long red hair into a bun. Her Harpies jersey rode up so Draco could see her bellybutton ring.

Astoria looked at Draco eagerly. "Can I tell them?" Draco nodded and she turned back to the pair.

"Draco bought the kids a broom each!" she squealed. "Isn't that wonderful?!"

Alyssa gaped at him. Stephanie shrieked and tackled him in a hug. He stumbled and patted her on the back gently. "Really?" Alyssa asked once she had recovered.

Draco nodded again. "Yeah, I guess I had a bit of spare money lying around," he said uncomfortably. The hot sun was directly on his back and causing him to feel a bit sweaty.

Stephanie broke away from him with her hands at her mouth. "Thank you," she said gratefully. "This is amazing. Thank you for doing this."

He smiled abashedly and Alyssa asked, "So where are the brooms? The kids are going to turn up soon." She smiled at him. "This is an amazing thing you've done, Draco."

Draco felt his cheeks go pink as Astoria squeezed his hand a bit. He gestured to the small shed in the corner of the field. "Over there," he said.

Alyssa waved her wand at the shed and immediately, a whole lot of brooms came flying out. The three girls gaped at the vast amount of brooms and when they arrived they saw the shiny words that read, _NIMBUS 2000_.

Draco fidgeted. "It's not the best model, but because there are so many kids and—" he broke off as Astoria shushed him.

"Draco, this is amazing!" She hugged him again, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. He cautiously put his own arms around her waist and held her there. "You truly are a good person, Draco Malfoy," she whispered into his ear. Alyssa and Stephanie were thanking him over and over again, but it was those whispered words that made him feel good about himself. Draco had done a few bad things in the war, and hearing those words made him undeniably happy.

They broke apart as the kids started to come in. Each time Draco told them that the broom was for them to keep, they would scream in happiness. Their guardians had nearly started to cry, and they were so thankful for Draco. He'd never felt happier as they generally were guarded around him because of his involvement with the war and to see them trusting him meant more to him than he would like to admit.

Draco was in the air with them, throwing Quaffles left and right, and he noticed the big grins the kids had. He felt so extremely happy at seeing their laughing faces and the way they cherished the broom.

This was the definitely the best thing he had ever done.


	4. Chapter 4

There was a knock at the door and Draco jumped in fright. No one ever came by the house anymore. He didn't know whether or not to answer the door. The gates that used to stop people from entering had been removed to try and show his father that there was no need for all the caution anymore.

It didn't work but he suddenly wished he kept those gates up. After putting down the knife he was using to cut himself an apple, he washed his hands and walked towards the door, holding his wand tightly in his pocket.

Opening the door tentatively, he saw Astoria waiting with a big smile and a picnic basket. "Hello, Draco!" she said warmly.

Draco was taken aback. He loosened his hold on his wand and opened the door wider to let her in. "Hello, Astoria," he said. "Come in."

She smiled and slipped past him. "I was hoping you'd come on a picnic with me today. I have the day off and I thought it'd be nice to spend it relaxing and such."

Draco looked down at her. "Yeah, that sounds… nice. Let me just grab some things. I'll be back soon," he promised. She nodded and he hurried out to find his mother. "Mother, I am going to be out today again. There's some leftover food from last night, make sure you eat that for lunch. Okay?"

Narcissa turned towards him with a gentle smile and placed her hand on his cheek. "Yes, Draco. Thank you, dear."

Draco smiled and kissed the top of her head. Narcissa had slowly started to become a less vicious version of herself and Draco was becoming more and more confident that she would get much better soon. His father was a very different case but he let him know that he was not going to be home again and Lucius only gave him a response that he should be careful and that he should return by sunset. Draco knew it was a lost cause so he grabbed his things and rushed out to find Astoria again.

"Shall we leave?" he asked, opening the door for her.

"Yes, of course," she said, nodding. "Do you want to go to Victoria Park?"

Draco shrugged. "I've never been there. So you can pick the destination."

She grinned. "Alright then, hold my arm." Draco obliged and on the count of three, Astoria spun them on the spot to arrive at the lovely park.

Astoria didn't let go of Draco's arm. "Luckily no one seems to be here," she observed, "we would have broken the Statute."

Draco laughed. "Yeah, we would have. I wonder why no one's here, it's a lovely day."

"It is," she agreed. "Now let's not just stand here and chat like two old ladies, let's have a picnic!" Draco grinned and helped her set up the picnic. They sat down and Astoria pulled out the food she had with a bottle of champagne.

"I think we've worked hard for this," she said, "we deserve a break."

"That we do," Draco said, grinning. "I haven't had a proper day off in about three weeks. That's why I haven't been able to make it to the group. Sorry."

She waved her hand and pulled out two glasses. "Oh, don't worry, Draco. I got your owl and we have new people to help us. My sister and her new boyfriend. You remember Daphne and Blaise?"

Draco nodded. The news that Daphne was dating his old friend didn't hurt him as much as he thought it would. "Oh, that's good," he said honestly. "Here, let me." He gestured to the champagne bottle which Astoria was struggling to open. She passed it to him and after some jiggling and a sneaky spell, the cork popped off with a loud noise.

"I always love that noise," Astoria said, plucking the bottle out of his hands to pour them two glasses. "Don't you?"

Draco shrugged. "I'm indifferent to it. So what have you been doing lately?" he asked, taking a sip of the champagne. It had a woody taste to it but it was rather nice.

She lowered her glass. "Oh, not much. I've been working a lot, but I'm not complaining. It's got to be done for the kids."

Draco also lowered his glass. "Astoria, I told you that if you ever need financial assistance I'll be more than happy to help."

She nodded. "I will ask when I'm desperate, I just feel bad if I take and take."

Draco let out a small laugh. "Astoria, all you ever do is give. If you keep giving, you'll have nothing left to give. It's okay to take things from time to time. You're the kindest person I know."

She smiled, looking down as her cheeks reddened. Draco, deciding to be bold – whether or not that was the champagnes doing, he had no idea – said, "And the most beautiful person I know."

Her cheeks had become bright red now and she mumbled, "You don't mean that."

Draco cupped her face in his hands. "I do mean that," he said gently.

She avoided his eye. "Really?" she asked timidly. Draco nodded and she said, "Me? Not Daphne?"

He jerked back. "What?" he asked.

She hesitated. "Most boys like my sister more than me. It's always been that way and probably always will be. I'm just double-checking," she said timidly. Draco saw the layer of insecurity in Astoria that he could relate to all too well.

Draco faltered. "Look, Astoria. I used to fancy Daphne, but then I met you and you're the Greengrass I'd much rather be with. I'm being completely honest. Daphne is something, I have to admit. But you're something else. And I'd rather be with you than with Daphne. I no longer have any feelings for her anymore because I fancy you. A lot," he added on the end.

Astoria looked crestfallen at the thought of Draco fancying Daphne but at the end of his speech, she looked hopeful again. Draco leant forward and kissed her and she happily kissed him back.

When they broke apart, Astoria kept a hand around Draco's neck. They stayed quiet for a long time and Draco broke the silence by asking, "Astoria, would you like to be my girlfriend?"

She nodded with a small grin. "I would like that very much, Draco." They kissed again and then started to chat again, eating some of the delicious food Astoria had made.

Eventually, Draco explained the situation of his parents and Astoria listened attentively. She offered him advice on how to help them and even assisted her own services. She knew that a child and a fully grown man and woman were very different but some of the healing processes would be the same with only little alterations.

Draco thanked her and the pair spent the rest of the day together, talking about their roles in the Wizarding War to apple seeds. At the end of the day, they were both very burnt but they both had had one of the greatest days of their lives.

* * *

Only the epilogue left now! I'd like to thank everyone who's read, reviewed, favourited, followed this story. Every time I get a little notification, I feel so happy. :p Thanks everyone! :D


	5. Epilogue

Draco was nervous. More than that, he was terrified. He paced up and down the halls of the hospital, running his hands through his already receding hair line. He was sent out a few hours ago and with each minute he became more and more anxious.

"Draco, it's going to be okay," his mother soothed him, putting a hand on his arms. Astoria's parents were sitting down and quiet, not looking at anyone or speaking at all. Lucius was generally a very quiet person but had become much more solemn watching his son worry.

"How do you know that?" he asked hysterically. "How do you know she's okay?!"

Narcissa said, "This happens to many people, Draco. Astoria is going to be okay. _Trust_ me on this."

He swallowed nervously. "What about—" he whispered but was then interrupted by the Healer.

"Mr Malfoy? Your wife will see you now," she said, smiling at the man, holding the door open for him. Draco rushed past her to see a very tired Astoria holding a little bundle in her arms.

"It's a boy," she whispered as soon as she saw him. "And he's perfectly healthy."

Draco let out a long breath he hadn't realised he was holding and came to his wife's side to look at his newborn son. He was only tiny but he was perfect. He didn't notice that he had begun to well up until Astoria teased, "Why, Mr Malfoy, are you crying?"

"No," he grumbled, wiping at his eyes. Astoria just shook her head fondly at her husband. "May I hold him?"

"Of course," she said, lifting him up so Draco could hold him. "Make sure you hold his head, dear."

Draco nodded and secured his son into his arms. He stared down at the little boy he and Astoria made together and was extremely relieved that his son seemed to be in perfect condition. "He's perfect," he mumbled. Astoria smiled and stared up at her two boys. Draco looked down at her and smiled. "Is everything okay with you?" he asked nervously.

Astoria's grin faltered. "I don't know," she said quietly. "I don't know whether we can have any more children, Draco."

Draco stared at his wife and said, "It doesn't matter. He's more than enough. You've done brilliantly." Astoria smiled and her eyes filled with tears. He teased, "Now who's the one crying, Mrs Malfoy?"

"Oh, shush you," she said, wiping at her eyes, "I'm meant to cry."

Draco laughed silently and then returned to staring at his new son. "Are we still calling him Scorpius Hyperion?" he asked.

Astoria nodded. "Yes," she said with a smile, "that's a perfect name for him, isn't it?" Draco agreed with her and she said, "Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy. Perfect."

Draco whispered, "Hello, little Scorpius." Scorpius didn't respond but Draco smiled anyway. "This wonderful woman right here is your mummy. And I'm your dad. And we love you so much. Even though you put Mummy through a hell of a time to get you here."

"Don't swear in front of him," Astoria scolded, "he's five minutes old!"

Draco grinned. "Sorry, Astoria." She grumbled slightly and he said, "Here, take Scorpius. I'll go get our parents." Astoria nodded and held out her arms for her newborn son eagerly. Draco placed Scorpius gently in her arms, pressed a kiss to his head and then gave a kiss to Astoria. "You're the most wonderful woman in this whole world," he said, "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Draco," she said, lifting her eyes from Scorpius to Draco. "And I'm so glad our son looks exactly like you."

Draco laughed and she then shooed him out to tell the good news to their parents who were waiting anxiously in the hall. Draco told them the news and invited them into the small room and sat by Astoria's side as they passed Scorpius around and admired him.

Draco put his arm around Astoria and she said quietly, "I'm the luckiest woman in the world."

He corrected, "We're the luckiest people in the universe."

She smiled at him. "I love you so much, Draco."

"I love you too, Astoria," he said, kissing her.

* * *

The end! Thanks to everyone who's read, reviewed, favourited, or followed! It all means so much to me and I couldn't thank you guys enough! Hope you all enjoyed it! :)


End file.
